Oil cooler assembly

ABSTRACT

An oil cooler assembly for an internal combustion engine having an oil port adapted for connection with an oil filter. The assembly includes a diverter housing having two sides in which one side is connected directly to the oil port while the other side is connected directly to the oil filter. A heat exchanger is directly coupled to the diverter housing. This heat exchanger has an inlet port open to one side of the diverter housing through an inlet passageway in the diverter housing and an outlet port open to the other side of the diverter housing through an outlet passage formed in the diverter housing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

I. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to heat exchangers and, more particularly, to an oil cooler for an internal combustion engine.

II. Description of Material Art

Internal combustion engines of the type used with motorcycles may be either two-cycle or four-cycle internal combustion engines. In the two-cycle internal combustion engine, the oil to lubricate the engine parts is mixed directly with the gasoline thus obviating the need to lubricate the engine with a separate oil supply. Conversely, the fuel and oil are not intermixed in a four-cycle internal combustion engine. Consequently, in order to lubricate the engine parts during the operation of the engine, the engine must include a separate oil supply.

For these previously known four-cycle internal combustion engines, an oil pump continuously circulates the oil through the operating components of the engine and back to an oil pan where the oil is subsequently recirculated through the engine by the oil pump.

After prolonged and/or heavy load conditions for the engine, the oil becomes very hot and begins to break down. When this occurs, an inadequate oil supply may be pumped through the engine to lubricate the engine parts thus resulting in excessive or otherwise undesirable wear of the engine parts.

There have, however, been previously known oil coolers for use with internal combustion engines of the type used with small engines, for example, engines powering generators, ATVs, motorcycles, lawnmowers, etc. In these previously known oil coolers, however, the oil cooler was connected to the oil port from the engine by flexible tubing or other conduit means. A breakage or a leak in the fluid conduit between the oil cooler and the oil port from the engine can result in rapid depletion of the oil supply and damage to the internal combustion engine. Furthermore, the requirement of these previously known oil coolers of the separate oil supply lines also increased the overall cost of the oil cooler and consumed additional space around the engine.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention provides an oil cooler assembly for an internal combustion engine which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the previous known oil coolers.

In brief, the oil cooler assembly of the present invention comprises a diverter housing having two spaced sides. One of the sides is adapted for direct connection to the oil port on the engine in lieu of the oil filter. Conversely, the other side of the diverter housing is adapted for direct connection to the oil filter.

A heat exchanger is directly connected to and extends outwardly from the diverter housing. This heat exchanger includes an inlet port open to one side of the diverter housing through an inlet passageway formed in the diverter housing. An outlet port of the heat exchanger is open to the other side of the diverter housing through an outlet passageway formed in the diverter housing.

In operation, the diverter housing is directly connected to the engine and the oil filter then directly connected to the diverter housing. Since the heat exchanger is secured to and extends outwardly from the diverter housing, the previously known requirement for oil conduits to convey the hot oil between the heat exchanger and the engine is obviated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the oil cooler of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional plan view thereof; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

With reference to first to FIGS. 1 and 4, a preferred embodiment of the oil cooler assembly 10 of the present invention is shown. The oil cooler assembly 10 is intended for use with an internal combustion engine 12 having an oil filter port 14 and an oil filter 16.

The oil cooler assembly 10 includes a diverter housing 18 and having two planar and spaced apart sides 20 and 22. The diverter housing 18 is preferably made of a metal, such as aluminum, although nonmetallic materials may be alternatively used.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the side 20 of the diverter housing 18 is adapted for connection to the oil port 14 in lieu of the filter 16. Similarly, the oil filter 16 is adapted for connection to the opposite side 22 of the diverter housing 18.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, in order to secure the diverter housing 18 to the engine 12, an elongated pipe 50 extends through a bore 52 in the diverter housing 18 and has one end 54 which threadably engages a threaded oil return port 56 on the engine 12. An enlarged diameter hexagonal portion 58 on the pipe 50 abuts against the side 22 of the diverter housing 18 so that, upon tightening the pipe 50, the diverter housing 18 is compressed against the engine 12 and fluidly sealed to the engine 12 by a seal 60.

The other end 62 of the pipe 50 is also externally threaded so that the oil filter 16 is screwed onto the pipe end 62 and fluidly seals against the side 22 of the diverter housing 18 upon tightening.

In order to facilitate the assembly of the diverter housing 18 to the engine 12, the diverter housing 18 optionally includes an outwardly projecting location tab 26 (FIG. 1) having a through bore 28. The through bore 28 registers with a bolt hole on the engine 12, or some other location mechanism such as a pin, in order to align the diverter housing 18 to the engine 12 in a predefined position. The location tab 26, however, is not used in many applications.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, a heat exchanger 30 is directly connected to and extends outwardly from the diverter housing 18. The heat exchanger 30 includes an inlet port 32 and an outlet port 34 so that oil flowing into the inlet port 32 passes through the heat exchanger 30 and ultimately exits out through the outlet port 34 as shown by arrow 36.

Preferably the heat exchanger 30 includes a plurality of spaced apart fins 38 having air flow openings formed between the fins 38. The oil passes through these fins 38 so that air flow between the fins 38 cools the oil in the desired fashion.

The inlet port 32 to the heat exchanger 30 is fluidly connected through an inlet passageway 38 (FIGS. 3 and 4) formed through the diverter housing 18 and open to the side 20 of the diverter housing 18. Conversely, the outlet port 34 is fluidly connected through an outlet passageway 40 formed in the diverter housing 18 and fluidly open to the opposite side 22 of the diverter housing 18. It will be understood, of course, that the oil flow between the ports 32 and 34 may be reversed in direction without deviation from the spirit of the invention.

In operation, the diverter housing 18 together with its attached heat exchanger 30 is connected directly to the oil port 14 on the internal combustion engine 12. Thereafter, the oil filter 16 is attached to the opposite side of the diverter housing 18.

In the conventional fashion, the oil flow from the oil port 14 conventionally flows through an annular opening 44 (FIG. 4). This annular opening is fluidly connected to the heat exchanger inlet 32 via the inlet passageway 38 so that oil flow from the engine passes through the heat exchanger 30 and out through the outlet port 34 and outlet passageway 40 formed in the diverter housing 18 to an annular opening which registers with the filter 16.

The oil flow through the filter 16 flows radially inwardly through the filter material and to a center passageway 46 formed in the filter 16. This passageway 46 is fluidly connected through the pipe 50 back to the engine thus supplying clean oil to the engine.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention provides a simple and unique oil cooler assembly for an internal combustion engine such as the type used with motorcycles. Since the diverter and heat exchanger 30 are directly coupled to the oil flow port on the engine, the necessity for additional oil flow lines to connect the oil cooler is unnecessary.

Having described our invention, many modifications thereto will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains without deviation from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims. 

1. An oil cooler assembly for an internal combustion engine having an oil port adapted for connection with an oil filter, an oil cooler assembly comprising: a diverter housing having two spaced sides, one of said sides adapted for direct connection to said oil port in lieu of the oil filter and the other side adapted for direct connection to the oil filter, a heat exchanger directly connected to said diverter housing, said heat exchanger having an inlet port open to one side of said diverter housing through an inlet passageway formed in said diverter housing and an outlet port open to the other side of said diverter housing through an outlet passageway formed in said diverter housing.
 2. The oil cooler assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said heat exchanger comprises a plurality of fins.
 3. The oil cooler assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said fins are spaced apart from each other to form air passage openings therebetween.
 4. The oil cooler assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said diverter housing is made of metal.
 5. The oil cooler assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said heat exchanger is made of metal.
 6. The oil cooler assembly as defined in claim 2 and including a location hole formed through said diverter housing for positioning said diverter housing at a predetermined position relative to said oil port. 